Lions and tigers and bears ... animated!

In an AP story today about 2006, the year of animated movies (yeesh, how many times we can watch computer-generated critters go for laughs?), writer David Germain noted that the glut of ’toons affects this year's animated-feature category.

Germain writes, "Ten years ago, Hollywood released as few as three or four animated movies a year, with Disney the only steady player. This year, 16 films are expected to be eligible for the Academy Award for feature-length animation — only the second time in the six-year history of the animated Oscar that there were enough movies for a full field of five nominees, rather than the usual three."